Sharp-eyed biologists and citizen volunteers spotted seven bald eagles at six different lakes in the Inland Empire and local mountains during the final count of the winter season on Saturday, U.S. Forest Service - San Bernardino National Forest officials reported.

A number of bald eagles migrate to southern California to spend their winter vacations around the area's lakes, according to a news release issued by Robin Eliason, district wildlife biologist for the San Bernardino National Forest.

They migrate here because their prey animals (fish and ducks) are no longer available to them in the cold northern regions as ice covers the lakes and rivers.

"Unfortunately, no eagles were seen at Lake Perris, but loads of other cool birds were observed," Lake Perris State Recreation Area Senior Environmental Scientist Ken Kietzer said in the release.

During the February count, 17 bald eagles were spotted.

According to the release, the warm weather probably accounts for the lower number of bald eagles seen; they may have decided that it was time to start their migration north during the great weather conditions.

The participants at Lake Hemet were lucky enough to observe a pair of bald eagles tending their nest and hunting for food, Eliason said in the release, adding thatmany of the participants at Big Bear Lake were thrilled by a brief glimpse of a newly-hatched baby bald eagle being fed breakfast in the nest.

The Forest Service's non-profit group, the Southern California Mountains Foundation, is recruiting volunteers to man a viewing station on Saturdays and Sundays. People interested in seeing the nest and chick should call the Big Bear Discovery Center at (909) 382-2790.

The best time of year to see bald eagles in Southern California is during winter months when there is an influx of eagles. Migrating eagles typically begin arriving in the area in late November and leave in late March or early April.

During the winter, southern California bald eagles are typically found at many of the lakes, including Big Bear Lake, Baldwin Lake, Silverwood Lake, Lake Arrowhead, Green Valley Lake and Grass Valley Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains and Prado Dam, Lake Perris, Lake Hemet, Lake Skinner, Diamond Valley Lake, Lake Matthews and the Salton Sea to the south.

Radio tracking and or/banding has helped biologists keep a close watch on the bald eagles' migratory habits.

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Breeding populations of bald eagles in Southern California went extinct in the area in the 1950s. Until reintroduction efforts began in the 1980s on Catalina Island, the southernmost next site known in California was in Lake County, north of the San Francisco Bay area. Since 2003, several pairs of bald eagles who found their way to Southern California decided to stay, built nests and successfully raised families.

As the local populations continue to grow in North America, year-round residency and nesting is becoming more common.

According to Eliason, that's exactly what happened at Lake Hemet in Riverside County. The female eagle with orange wing tags "02" hatched at the San Francisco Zoo in 2000 and was released as a chick on Catalina Island as part of the reintroduction efforts.

In 2004, she arrived at Lake Hemet and decided to take up year-round residence with the make bald eagle that was already there. The pair has nested every year since then.In 2012, the first successful bald eagle nesting ever recorded in the San Bernardino Mountains happened in Big Bear Lake.